In the 1980s, vampire movies started to show a lot of changes. Gone were the days of vampires simply biting the necks of the victims. The new and improved blood suckers were destroying whatever was in their path and doing it in violent ways. They also shed their capes for a more modern-looking wardrobe. Vampire movies of the 80s also introduced the world to strong female creatures of the night. In this article, you will encounter a handful of vampire movies that marked the 1980s.

Near Dark (1987)

Adrian Pasdar (played by Bill Paxton) falls for the girl of his dreams only to learn that she is a vampire Ã¢â‚¬â€œ the hard way. She sinks her teeth into him and he is changed into a bloodsucker that must learn how to kill if he wants to live. He joins her traveling 'family,' which has quite a mean streak. They ride about the highways in stolen cars. As part of Adrian's initiation, he must participate in a bloody assault on a bar. Adrian eventually takes his own victims. The movie offers action with an underlining love story. Some of the most violent scenes in vampire movies are illustrated in the 'Near Dark' with Lance Henricksen and Bill Paxton taking on major roles. The tagline for the movie was "Blood is our life, Darkness, our feeding ground and sunlight, our eternal damnation."

The Hunger (1983)

Surviving off of the blood of her lovers, the Egyptian vampire named Miriam has lived for centuries, taking on guys and girls who in turn, do not age. When she is 'finished' with her loves (that she finds at local clubs), she disposes of them. The movie involves a storyline with one victim, John, who seeks assistance from a well-known Dr. Sarah Roberts Ã¢â‚¬â€œ a doctor that studies premature aging. She doesnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t fully believe his tale, but agrees to make contact with Miriam out of curiosity. When John suddenly ages and wastes away, Miriam casts her spell on Dr. Sarah. Interest in this vampire movie really took off with the promise of a lesbian sex scene showing Miriam and Sarah (played by Catherine Deneuve and Susan Sarandon).

DraculaÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Widow (1988)

In Hollywood, the young owner of a waxworks (Raymond) in Hollywood receives chests full of Romanian antiques that were ordered to decorate a display centered on Dracula. However, Raymond is unaware that Vanessa, widow of Count Dracula, sleeps in the sixth chest. In the middle of the night, she awakens Ã¢â‚¬â€œ in search of blood. She also attempts to turn Raymond into her vampire slave so that she can find her way back to Romania. Police soon gain interest in the waxworks after a thief witnesses the murder of his accomplice and other dead bodies start to appear. The movie also portrays the grandson of Dr. Van Helsing as a hunter of vampires, who is on the trail of Vanessa. It was his family that is responsible for killing Dracula in the first place and making Vanessa a widow.